Café Winchell’s relocates to Middle Road

Fresh donuts, coffee, and other all-time favorites are served 24 hours a day in the new Café Winchell’s located at Saipan Vegas Resort on Middle Road. (Bea Cabrera)

Café Winchell’s is back after a year of hiatus and has now found a new home at Saipan Vegas Resort on Middle Road. They formally opened last Thursday and will be serving the company’s signature fresh donuts and coffee all day, every day for 24 hours.

“We closed down in Garapan last year and we were really interested to open in the same area but unfortunately, we found some but didn’t meet our needs and it was hard to find any other vacancy in that area,” said Marjorie Cabrera, operation consultant of Winchell’s Saipan and Guam.

“So what happened was Saipan Vegas Resort general manager Gus Noble, a regular customer of ours at the Winchell’s Susupe branch approached our operations manager, Laidy Ignacio, and asked if we can open Winchell’s at the [Saipan Vegas Resort]. He said he wanted to provide his customers better snacks and coffee and what better than Winchell’s to provide that especially on late nights,” she added.

That proposal clicked like a light bulb for Cabrera and the rest of Winchell’s management. They realized that it is also a good pathway for tourists coming in on late nights. “They can actually stop by and grab a snack to eat here or take to the hotel. On Saipan, there’s not a lot of places that’s open 24 hours or after 8pm so we want to provide that service both to the locals and tourists,” Cabrera said.

“As we study the flow of people on Middle Road, we realized it is pretty busy. There are many offices, shops, and schools. Although we wanted an area in Garapan or Beach Road, I guess being here on Middle Road, we also cater to a good percentage of locals.

Ignacio said that aside from donuts and coffee, Winchell’s Middle Road includes special items that their customers have grown to love. “Our ‘fraps’ are getting popular and if customers want to add tapioca we can do that. We serve our new and improved ‘chillas’— flavored iced tea like watermelon, peach, mango and iced coffee in caramel, hazelnut and vanilla,” she said.

“We also offer all-time favorites like the clam chowder, arroz caldo, spaghetti and we plan to include more products in the future like bento boxes,” she added.

The opening was also graced by Winchell’s Guam and Saipan co-owner Keomi Noble. “Winchell’s has been on Saipan for 33 years. I think the reason why we are still here is that we grow with the people of Saipan and we are happy and committed to serve them,” she said.